A Measure of Faith

Dear Ms. Billings, This novel came at a point in my life when I could really relate to the challenges of aging with health issues. I could never put into words my fears of having a hysterectomy. You have done an excellent job of portraying a fairly common issue for middle age women of color and how we associate our femininity and sex appeal to our womb. Thank you for helping me to understand and make my loved ones understand. I ultimately ended up having an alternative surgical resolution to my fibroid issue. But it taught me about faith in God in all circumstances. He helped me build strength within myself, and my marriage. I thank you sincerely for telling my story. I will look for your novels because I simply like your style. Merry Christmas and may God bless you richly. Warmest regards, Robbin

A Measure of Faith is a novel to which many women can relate. It deals with the issues of raising teenage children, running a household, owning her own interior design business, experiencing women's health issues, seeking independence, nurturing a deeper bond with a husband, balancing friendship and finding self. All are addressed in 240 pages. Lynnette Montgomery is the lady who has to exercise her faith against overwhelming odds to hold it all together. I found it refreshing. The situations and circumstances in the book could be issues we all face, and likely as genuine is the realization that Lynn has problems maintaining a healthy balance. Lynn is plagued by nightmares involving the mother who abandoned her at four years of age. Meanwhile, her doctor breaks bad news to her that her fibroids require surgery and she is adamant about not losing those parts she feels makes her a woman. She longs to talk her situation over with her mother or some other older woman who can understand. Her supportive husband, Robert, feels left out of her life and isn't sure how to help her through such life-changing decisions. Lynn's faith waivers and she stops attending church and being attentive to her family. In her quest to find solace, Lynn turns to her childhood friend, who in her eagerness to assist causes a rift in Lynn and Robert's marriage. Lynn's client Rose, an older lady, becomes Lynn's refuge when she finds the pressure too much to bear. Lynn finds immeasurable knowledge and strength through her unexplainable strong bond with Rose. A Measure of Faith is Maxine Billing's first novel. The comprehensive list of topics addressed in this book could have easily been expanded into an epic, but the writing style captured everything very succinctly and made reading enjoyable.

Maxine Billings is a new author who I believe has a great debut novel. When I first read the review about this book, I knew I had to read it. I believe there will be a lot of women who will be able to relate to what the main character, Lynette Montgomery, goes through in this story as I was. As the story opens, Lynette Montgomery (the main character) is told by her doctor that she will have to have surgery. On top of that when she leaves the doctors office she is involved in a minor car accident and to make matters worse the officer fines them both. When trying to tell her husband that she has fibroid tumors and explain to him what they are she feels he is not sympathetic to her plight and what the surgery would put her through. Lynette puts her husband and her two children on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. Lynette strays from the church and begins to lose her Faith in God. Lynette's best friend who loves Lynette like a sister but is also envious of Lynette's and Robert's relationship tries to make a rift between the two of them. To make matters worse Lynette continues to have dreams about her mother leaving her and never coming back. It's during this time that Lynette wishes her mother was there for her, if she never needed her before she truly needs her now. On top of all that she is dealing with Lynette continues to run her business and begins a new project with a woman named Rose; who will turn out to be more important to Lynette than she ever thought.Reviewed by Jocelyn Lawson for www.avid-readers.com

A Measure of Faith is a wonderful and enjoyable read. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and I congratulate Maxine on her debut. I'm looking forward to reading more from this author.

From all appearances, Lynnette Montgomery (who, as a child, was abandoned by her mother but rose above it) has it all: A wonderful husband, two healthy children, a successful business, and strong faith in God. However, what happens when she has a health crisis, and everything else important in her life seems to recede into the background? Lynnette and Robert Montgomery reside in a small town in Georgia. He's a builder, and she's an interior designer. Oftentimes they work in conjunction with one another. They have two teenaged children: Joshua, 17 and Miranda, 16. One day Lynnette learns that she needs an operation that, she thinks, will change everything that makes her a woman. Her husband, Robert, certainly can't understand that if she goes through with it, she'll lose something precious to her. The stressfulness of her situation causes her to behave oddly. She starts staying out late. Takes up with her childhood friend who her husband thinks is a bad influence on her. On the upside, she meets an older woman named Rose whom she begins to think of as a surrogate mother. Rose is soon welcomed into the family and everyone comes to love her. But a secret is revealed and Lynnette is faced with another crisis of faith. Can she learn to give her problems to God, and not ask for them back? Can she have the faith needed to forgive and forget? As a woman, I could sympathize with her anguish. This is a story anyone can relate to. A warm, sensitive portrayal of a woman in transition. JS